Chapter Twelve: Talking with Ron
"Harry!" Hermione screamed at his door for the third time that morning. "Harry wake up!" It was already eight in the morning and she wanted to eat breakfast with the rest of the Weasley's this morning before they went up to the library.
"Whaddya want?" She heard Harry moan from his bed, sleepily. She finally decided that it was time to finally go and wake him up. She barged through the door and walked in to see him wearing a pair of tartan boxers, and nothing but that.
"Merlin!" He screamed as he quickly reached for the covers. "Mione! What are you doing in my room?" Harry didn't stop with the covers until they reached his chin and Hermione blushed scarlet and turned around quickly.
"I'll get out, I'll get out!" She said as she hustled out of the room. "You weren't waking up."
"You should have given me warning." He said as the door shut and he scrambled to find a decent pair of jeans. "What time is it?" He messed with his hair a little bit but figured it was useless to even try.
"It's nearly quarter after eight." She yelled from the living room, bashfully.
"You don't have to yell." He snuck up behind her wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white button-up shirt. She jumped half a foot in the air.
"You didn't have to scare me." She swatted him playfully on the arm. One could mistake her actions as flirting.
"I didn't mean to. Why did you wake me up at eight?" He stared at her, remembering his dream. "It's really early, Mione."
"I, uhm… wanted to talk with Ron and Ginny. We've been ignoring them." She said as she stared at her own shoes.
"Okay. Are we eating breakfast in the Great Hall?"
"That was the plan. But I don't know if they are still serving, sleepyhead." She mocked him and he walked toward the door.
"Ready?" She looked at him confusedly, as it was she who had been ready for the last half an hour, trying to wake him.
"Yeah." She said sarcastically, as she followed him down to the Great hall. When they got there, they were greeted by Neville, Ginny, Ron and Luna.
"Hawwy!" Ron said with his face stuffed with food. Luna, who was sitting incredibly close beside him, smiled lovingly in his direction and Hermione grimaced slightly.
"Hey Ron." Harry sat across from Ron and Luna and next to Neville. "Long time no see."
"Seweously, mate. Whaddwayabenupto?" Maple syrup was dripping from his mouth.
"Ron." Ginny glared at him. "You can eat as much as you want. It's not disappearing."
Hermione sat down closely beside Harry and he noticed it but did not say anything.
"Nothing really. Hermione and I have been researching in the library." He dug into the stack of pancakes at the center of the table.
"Sounds like fun." Ron said sarcastically, his mouth clearer than before. "Have you heard?" He said louder than usual and with a lot of cheerfulness.
"Heard what?" Harry asked, trying to mock the same enthusiasm. Ginny and Neville started laughing hysterically, and Ron's ears turned bright red.
"Well, me and Luna are going out now." Ginny choked back a little giggle while she was sipping her orange juice.
"Luna and I, Ron." Hermione corrected, sharply, somewhat glaring in his direction.
"What?!" He took a gulp of pumpkin juice. "That's just weird, Hermione. You are both girls." Hermione turned beet red and Neville had milk coming out of his nose.
"Hermione was correcting your grammar, Ron." Harry stated, matter-of-factly. This time Ron's ears turned bright red.
"Oh, uhm… yeah." He looked back towards a very happy Luna. "We've been together since the start of summer."
"I told you I saw him with someone around the Ravenclaw corridor." She said to Harry the way only he could hear her.
"Yeah, I figured you weren't lying." He turned to look at her and smiled friendly. "We should probably congratulate him now."
"Really! That's great, Ron." Hermione and Harry both said at exactly the same time. They looked at each other confusedly and both started laughing.
"You guys are strange." Luna said and then looked at Ron. "You know, I think that maybe there are some sniggle-toed flipper bugs running around here. They spoke at the same time." Luna said excitedly and then Ron lifted his face from his plate.
"Yeah. I read about those in last Sunday's edition of the Quibbler. You must be right, Luna." Ron patted Luna on the back appreciatively and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Well, at least Luna has found someone that believes the Quibbler." Harry was chewing on a piece of toast with Strawberry jam on it.
"True." Hermione was smiling at her plate when she heard Ginny squeal suddenly.
"Sorry." Ginny stopped moving and looked around at everyone with her cheeks a deep red color.
"Uhm… Ginny? What made you… squeal?" Harry asked confusedly as he looked at Ginny and then to Neville, who was wearing the same pink cheeks.
"Uhm… I thought of the time when Ron borrowed a pair of underpants from Fred and George." Her cheeks reddened less. "Yes. They had doxy egg powder on them and they caused his bum to turn beet red. He couldn't stop itching for days." It was now Ron's turn to look red in the face.
"Ginny!" He said, as though he had been betrayed.
"It's okay, Ron." Luna said and Ron went slightly less red.
They group spent the next few hours playing exploding snaps and wizarding chess in the great hall before Ron, Ginny, and Luna retired to the Quidditch pitch.
"Ready to go the library now?" Harry asked and he and Hermione left the Great Hall together. They walked together with their arms touching, but neither of them brave enough to hold the other's hand.
"So, Hermione, do you think Ginny and Neville are together as well?" Harry asked, trying to ease the strange silence that had consumed them.
"Most likely. Why else do you think that she told that story about Ron?"
"I don't know."
"She wanted people to forget that she giggled because she and Neville were playing footsie."
"Footsie?"
"You don't honestly not know what footsie is, Harry, right?" Hermione stopped in her tracks.
"Well, what is it?" He asked, after he was done waiting for her to continue.
"My goodness, Harry." Hermione began to blush slightly, trying to think of a way to explain what it was. "Well, uhm… it's a sort of game, I guess. I suppose couples play it. You kind of just pretend kick each other under the table and nobody is supposed to know."
"Oh." He answered, still somewhat confused. "Okay. So they are an item?"
"Yes. What time is it?" Harry fumbled through his pockets for his clock.
"Ten fifty-seven. Why?"
"I have to ask for the library pass-" Hermione stumbled into something hard just around the corner.
AN: Cliffie... I suppose that was somewhat evil of me, considering I haven't updated in forever (I'm sorry). I will hopefully have another update by tomorrow, if I am lucky. Smiles...
